Free Script Coverage Template (PDF, Google Docs and Word) With an Example
Most scripts sent to a production company are never read by the person who could say yes. A reader reads them first and writes script coverage, a short report that decides whether the script goes any further. This free script coverage template gives you a fillable two-page PDF, a Google Doc and a Word file, plus a filled-in script coverage example for Dead Air, our made-up short film.
TL;DR: One Report, One Verdict
Script coverage sums up a screenplay in a logline and a synopsis, rates it category by category, and ends with a verdict: pass, consider or recommend. Write the synopsis in present tense and include the ending. Keep the comments specific. Name the scene, the problem and a fix.
Download the Free Script Coverage Template
The PDF is a fillable two-page script coverage report with tick boxes for the ratings and the verdict. The Google Doc and Word file have the same sections with guide text you type over.
What Is Script Coverage?
Script coverage is a written report on a screenplay, prepared by a script reader, also called a story analyst. According to Wikipedia, it usually has four parts:
- A cover page: title, writer, genre, page count, logline, and a grid that rates the script from poor to excellent
- A synopsis: the whole story in a page or more, ending included
- Comments: what works and what doesn’t, from concept and structure to characters, dialogue and style
- A recommendation: the verdict, and why
Production companies, agencies, studios and screenwriting contests all use coverage. The executive reads the report, and only reads the script if the report says it’s worth the time.
Pass, Consider or Recommend
| Verdict | What it means | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Pass | The script fails in most areas | It stops here |
| Consider | Real strengths, but real problems too | An executive may read it, or ask for a rewrite |
| Recommend | Strong in every area | It goes to the decision maker |
Many reports rate the writer separately from the script. A script can get a pass while the writer gets a consider, because the voice is good even if this story isn’t ready.
What’s in the Script Coverage Template
- Page 1: title, writer, draft, form, pages, genre, budget, time and place, comparable films, reader and date. Then the logline, a ratings grid for eight categories with notes, and tick boxes for the script and writer verdicts
- Page 2: a large synopsis box, a large comments box, and short strengths and weaknesses boxes
- Word and Google Docs: the same sections as headings, with a ratings table and grey guide text you type over
Script Coverage Example: Dead Air
Here’s coverage of Dead Air, the 13-page thriller from our screenplay template, written as if a short film fund had sent it to a reader.
- The ratings match the notes. Pacing gets a fair because the calls in Act 2 repeat. The comments explain exactly which ones.
- The script and the writer get different verdicts. The script is a consider. The writer is a recommend. The voice is ready even if the draft isn’t.
- The synopsis gives away the ending. Eddie on the couch, the mother, the sunrise. A reader who hides the ending isn’t doing the job.
- Every problem comes with a fix. “Plant his key to Nora’s apartment early.” That’s a note a writer can use tomorrow.
- The logline and comps sell it in seconds. Two comparable films tell the executive where this script fits.
Write the one-sentence verdict last.
By then you’ve done the synopsis and the notes, so you know what you really think.
If you can’t say it in one sentence, read your comments again.
How to Write Script Coverage
- Read the whole script in one sitting. Take notes as you go, with page numbers.
- Fill in the title block. Genre, page count, setting and budget level tell the reader what kind of film this is before the story starts.
- Write the logline. One sentence, with a hero, a goal and an obstacle. See our guide to writing a logline.
- Write the synopsis. Present tense, ending included, and CAPS for each character’s first appearance. It works like a movie synopsis, with less selling.
- Rate each category. Premise, structure, characters, dialogue, pacing, tone, marketability and originality.
- Write the comments. Start with what works, then the biggest problem and how to fix it, then smaller notes.
- Give the verdict. Pass, consider or recommend, for the script and the writer, with one sentence on why.
How Much Does Script Coverage Cost?
If you’re a writer paying for coverage, prices vary by service and depth. WeScreenplay, for example, lists packages from $39.99 to $139.99, and says in-depth notes can run to several hundred dollars, according to its coverage guide. Turnaround is often three or four days, with rush options.
You can also swap coverage with other writers for free. Use this template so you both cover the same things.
Famous Coverage Story: The Black List and Spotlight
In 2004, development executive Franklin Leonard emailed about 75 fellow executives and asked them to name the ten best unproduced scripts they had read that year. He published the results in 2005 as The Black List, according to Wikipedia).
The list is built on the same thing coverage is: readers saying “recommend.” At least 450 of the more than 1,000 scripts on it have been made into films, and those films have grossed over $30 billion. Spotlight, Argo, The King’s Speech and Slumdog Millionaire all started as Black List scripts, and all four won Best Picture.
When you get coverage back, read it twice before you answer.
The first time, you’ll argue with it.
The second time, look for the note that shows up in more than one report. That’s the one to fix.
Before you send your script out, check the structure with our beat sheet and write a film treatment you can send with it.
FAQs About Script Coverage
Is Script Coverage the Same as Script Notes?
Not quite. Coverage is written for the buyer, to help them decide. Notes are written for the writer, to help them rewrite. Paid services often mix the two, with a verdict plus detailed notes.
Can I Write Coverage of My Own Script?
You can, and it’s a good exercise. Writing a logline and a synopsis of your own draft shows you where the story is thin. Just don’t trust your own verdict.
Do Writers Ever See the Coverage on Their Script?
Sometimes. Contests and paid services send it to the writer. Coverage written inside a production company or agency is usually kept private.
What If Two Readers Disagree?
It happens often. Coverage is one reader’s opinion. Look for the notes they agree on, and treat those as the real problems.
The Final Cut on the Script Coverage Template
Script coverage is the first real test most scripts face, and most never get past it.
Download the template, cover a script you admire and one of your own, and see how the two reports compare.
Which verdict would your current draft get?
Jay Neill
Jay Neill is the founder and managing editor of iFILMthings and believes everyone should have access to the film resources they need to plan their filmmaking project, which is why he’s dedicated iFILMthings to helping all filmmakers.